The O'Reilly Factor is a political news and talk show. It's been around as long as the channel it airs on, since 1996, and host Bill O'Reilly has been referred to as the face of Fox News. It consistently tops the ratings as the most watched cable news show, and its popularity means it's one of the most parodied as well. Its original title was The O'Reilly Report, which should sound familiar.

O'Reilly has also written several books, some of them tie-ins to the show, some of them not. There used to be a radio show called The Radio Factor, but that died in early 2009.

He also appears in the third Transformers movie, interviewing former Sector Seven agent Simmons. The interview quickly devolves into an argument between the two over whether or not the US should continue supporting the Autobots.

On an episode of Rizzoli & Isles, O'Reilly yet again appears as himself. Many of his usual segments are mentioned, as Rizzoli's mother is a big fan of the show. Also, for some reason, he's covering the trial of a Boston gangster, which is a fairly large departure from his usual political analysis (although he does cover non-political subjects on his show from time to time).

Almighty Janitor: While O'Reilly doesn't really hold any special positions in terms of executive power within Fox News' building, the man's popularity combined with being a veteran reporter and, essentially, an "Elder Statesman" of the channel makes him second to Roger Ailes in terms of power.

Author Filibuster: His foray into writing fiction, Those Who Trespass, is heavy on this trope. The two central characters represent two sides of his personality.

Balance Between Good and Evil / Balance of Power: Of the two people who alternate as serving as O'Reilly's replacement host when he's away, Laura Ingraham is to O'Reilly's right, and Juan Williams is to O'Reilly's left. It's also worth noting that while Ingrahama and Williams are both strongly partisan when it comes to their alignments, their Factor guest-hostings generally have them calling things down the middle.

Arguably, and definitely not a black-and-white case ever since Obama became president. Has occasionally broken ranks with more hardline right-wingers, such as his foils Glenn Beck and Laura Ingraham, on a semi-regular basis now, and has caught some flak for it from a right-wing radio host or two.

He appears to be in favor of amnesty for illegal immigrants. Right-wing individuals would likely disagree with him on this.

In his earliest book, The O'Reilly Factor, he mocks George W. Bush for his past drug use. Of course, the chapter is about condemning drug abuse in general, but the passage still became Hilarious in Hindsight once the Iraq War kicked into full gear and Fox News turned at least temporarily pro-Bush.

Deadpan Snarker: O'Reilly's sense of humor is generally this, making a few absurd remarks toward "crazies" like Beck and Ingraham or those on the left like Mark Lamont Hill or Colmes who he interviews regarding their various theories on this and that, seemingly giving a more reasonable view on situations than most others. Also, when he and Stephen Colbert squared off on the Factor, it was O'Reilly's Deadpan versus Colbert's over-the-top Large Ham, and it was a battle worthy of song...

Insult Backfire: In a famous instance, a guest challenged Bill's stance on The War on Terror by claiming Bill wouldn't send any of his family to fight in the war (a common accusation levied against "hawks"). Bill shot back without missing a beat, "My nephew just enlisted!—You don't know what the hell you're talking about!"

I Was Quite a Looker: When he was in college, he used to play football, and it's clear from older videos of him like all the way back when he was on Inside Edition that he used to look quite different before he became old. He lampshades this whenever he can.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Many who consider Bill O'Reilly to be 'strongly hard-right' were surprised when it was O'Reilly of all people who criticized "One Million Moms" for discriminating against Ellen DeGeneres because she is openly gay. When they insisted Ellen should not be a spokesperson for JCPenny based on her sexual orientation, O'Reilly argued that regardless of his or anyone else's opinion of gay rights, what they're doing is taking rights from a person and is no different from McCarthyism, and naturally some liberals began to see him in this light (but most liberals still see him as a right-wing propagandist).

Only Sane Man: Like all political pundits he likes to pitch himself as the Only Sane Man in the American media. Compared to the usual lineup of programs on FNC, he does appear sane. The fact that Jon Stewart respects him immensely and isn't nearly as critical of him as he is toward the harder-right shows also helps him out.

Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Hot-Blooded Red Oni to Sean Hannity's Blue Oni, though this has definitely reversed in recent years. Of the people who have been his regulars, Glenn Beck is another Red Oni, while Laura Ingraham is a Blue Oni. Over the years, has become a Blue Oni to Beck.

The Rival: It's not quite as heated as it used to be, but Keith Olbermann. Olbermann seemed to have eased off of O'Reilly ever since Beck showed up, although he still attacks him whenever he can, but since Beck went off TV, Olbermann splits his time now between O'Reilly and Beck. O'Reilly, for his part, seems to have partially returned the favor although it's worth noting O'Reilly has always made sure not to as much as mention him by name.

There was also an informal agreement between the heads of Fox News and MSNBC.

Nowadays, O'Reilly's primary rival is Jon Stewart, with whom he has enjoyed lively debates with every time they've appeared on each others' show.

They are good friends outside of their shows, even to the point where Stewart called FOX News on making Nazi references at one point, and even Bill to his face on the Factor itself. While at first Bill used "You took my line out of context," not once since that interview has he made a single Nazi comparison, and even further, they started co-hosting events such as "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Room."

He also has a friendly rivalry with Stephen Colbert, made especially weird since Colbert is basically a parody of him.

His most vitriolic rivalry was with Al Franken, who despised him personally and once got into a shouting match with him. Bill returned the favor by dismissing him as "Stuart Smalley," one of Franken's characters on Saturday Night Live.

Running Gag: Whenever the state of Minnesota's brought up in regards to elections(for instance, during the 2012 election cycle and the Republican Primaries), Bill's always quick to snark about how Minnesota's "the state that elected Al Franken to the Senate and Jesse Ventura to the Governor's Mansion."

See: The Rumble In the Air Conditioned Auditorium. It was a three-hour debate between O'Reilly and Stewart over the various issues of the nation done for charity. It was an intense and very fun bit of programming, with the two of them maintaining a very strong air of civility and good nature throughout. While partisans on either side, like The Young Turks or Rush Limbaugh, declared one or the other the outright victor, the men themselves both acknowledged that it was a tough debate and that both of them made great points.

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